Of Weddings And Murder Mysteries
by ScorpioGirl1987
Summary: Just after Sonny proposes to Will, Nick's body is found frozen in the river. Now the Salem Police Department are determined to figure out how Nick got there. People are starting to suspect Gabi and even Sonny. Will Sonny be able to hide his involvement from Will? Or will everything crash and burn? Mainly WilSon and EJami
1. Chapter 1

**Guys, I apologize, but I lost complete interest in my other DOOL fanfics. This continues the Nick "murder mystery", but it takes place in January 2014 to…IDK. But, here we go! Oh- I'm also thinking of writing Gabi's exit and Melanie's return (I HOPE she returns, anyway). Maybe I'll do it in this fanfic. It'll be what I think will happen in the year 2014. Well, the first five months, anyway. **

**This contains WilSon, Ejami, EJabby, Chabby, and mentions of Jafe (Jordan/Rafe). I do not own Days of Our Lives. It belongs to NBC. **

The New Year started off with a bang. After that Santa scare and Sami coming clean with EJ, things started to return to normal. Or as normal as can be.

Sonny smiled as he walked through the Brady Pub looking for Sami. She was on her phone and drinking coffee. She saw Sonny and waved him over. Sonny sat across from her as she put down her phone.

"Hey, Sonny, what's up?"

Sonny couldn't stop grinning, but he was also slightly nervous. "Well, I wanted to ask you something."

"Okay." Sami was intrigued.

"I wanted to ask your permission to ask Will to marry me."

Sami gasped happily and smiled. This was the last thing she expected! "Yes! Oh my God, yes! Hey, I said you are practically my son-in-law, might as well make it official!"

Sonny chuckled and smiled. "Thanks."

"But can I ask you something? Why ask me and not Lucas? I mean, usually it's the father you ask for permission."

Sonny shrugged. "I don't know. You and Will are close, and you and I are friends…"

"So you thought it'd be easier to ask me?" Sami guessed. Sonny nodded. "Well, by all means, propose away!"

"Thanks." He stood up. "Also, I was thinking of adopting Ari."

"Go for it." Sami waved a hand. "I'm sure Will wouldn't mind."

"Great! See you later." Sonny replied, standing up. "Oh, before I forget…" He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Still no word on…that one guy?"

"Nope. Hopefully it stays that way." Sami whispered. Sonny nodded in agreement.

XXX

Later that day, Will, Gabi, and Ari walked through the square. Ari was getting bigger and needed new clothes. "I can't believe how fast she's growing."

Gabi chuckled lightly. "I know." She was about to say something else, when Will's phone buzzed.

"Oh, it's Sonny. He wants me to meet him at the pier. He has something he wants to ask me." Will said.

Gabi gasped and smiled. "Ohhh, I bet I know what it is!"

"What?" Will chuckled and smiled.

Gabi then got an idea. Will had been suspicious of her, Sonny, Sami, and Kate for a while now. This could get him off their backs. "Remember that 'secret' you think we've been keeping from you?"

"Yes?" Will replied eagerly.

"Well, you're about to find out!" Gabi winked and turned around. "I'll see you at home."

Will nodded. "Hmm."

XXX

Gabi saw Sami near the park and waved. "Hey, Sami!"

Sami turned around and smiled as she saw Gabi and Ari. She walked to the stroller. "Hey, baby girl!" She picked up Ari. "Hi. Hi. It's your favorite grandma."

Gabi chuckled. "So, Will and I were shopping, and he got a text from Sonny who wanted him to meet him at the pier to ask him a question."

Sami gasped. "Oh my God, it's happening!"

"I knew it! Sonny's proposing!" Gabi exclaimed. "Oh- I also told Will that this was the secret he thinks we kept from him."

Sami froze. "Okay, why would you do that?"

"To get him off our backs." Gabi replied. "Now he isn't suspicious anymore. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is, if- and that's a big if- Nick's body is found and Will finds out that we knew, he will think that Sonny only proposed to disguise the secret!"

Gabi's stomach dropped and she sighed. "Crap. Didn't think about that."

Sami blew her bangs out of her face. "Well…let's hope Sonny can keep it together."

XXX

Sonny put the finishing touches on the picnic he had set up for Will. He lit a couple of candles and set them behind the blanket. He heard footsteps and stood up. Will smiled and walked towards his boyfriend.

"Okay, I know you hate surprises and being the center of attention, but…" Sonny walked towards him.

"It's okay. Gabi hinted that you might do this." Will replied, shrugging.

Sonny chuckled. "What did she tell you?"

"That this has been going on for almost two months now." Will replied. "So this is the big secret, huh?"

Sonny stiffened. _'Dammit, Gabi!'_ He swallowed, and took Will's hands in his. "Will…I've known from the moment that we met that we were meant to be. It was like my soul knew you were the one…even though you were still in the closet. So, with that said…" He got down on one knee and pulled out a box. "William Robert Horton…" He opened the box. "Will you marry me?"

A lump rose to Will's throat. He couldn't believe this was actually happening! He sniffed and nodded. "Yes. Yes, I'll marry you."

Sonny chuckled and stood. He put the silver ring on Will's finger. They hugged and kissed. Things really do get better.

XXX

Nick was still nowhere to be seen, and Julie is starting to get suspicious. Nick didn't come home for Thanksgiving or Christmas, he never calls or writes…what was going on?

Julie sighed as she dialed Nick's number. She bit back a groan when she heard his voicemail. "Nick, it's Aunt Julie again. I'm getting extremely worried. Everyone is. You haven't returned anyone's calls, you don't visit or write. Are you okay? Please,_ please_ call me or _someone_! Good-bye."

"Hey. Still can't get ahold of Nick?" Doug asked as he sat down with their coffees.

"No. Oh, Doug, I am so worried. What if he's hurt or worse?" Julie felt tears coming on.

Doug squeezed his wife's hand gently. "Now, now. Nick is smart, strong, and resourceful. Actually…I just got off the phone with Hope. She officially declared Nick as missing. She had checked with the FBI in New York, and they have no record of Nick living there, and he never even boarded his plane."

Julie gasped and tried to keep calm. "Oh my God…no…oh my God….do his parents and Marie know?"

"She's calling them now." Doug replied. "We probably should let the rest of the family know."

Julie sniffed and nodded. "Okay."

XXX

_One week later…_

Somewhere on the outskirts of Chicago, a man and his girlfriend drove to a beach on the Fox River. The woman jumped out of the car and pulled out her skates. "Can't wait to try these out!"

The man got out of the car and chuckled. "Just don't pull me along with you if you fall."

The woman huffed and playfully smacked her boyfriend. "Derek, come on."

"I'm just saying…" They put on their skates and got onto the ice. The woman smiled up at Derek and hugged his torso. "Isn't this romantic?"

Derek kissed her forhead. "Yeah." He pulled away, and took her hand. They skated and danced around the ice. The woman stumbled and fell. "Oops. You okay?"

"Yeah, I just…" The woman looked down and saw a body frozen under the ice. She screamed and scooted backwards.

"Ash! What's wrong?" Derek asked, worriedly. Ash pointed to the body and continued gasping. Derek's eyes widened. "Shit." He pulled out his phone and called 911. "I'd like to report a frozen body."

XXX

Hope wandered through the square in a zombie-like fashion. Her legs were buckling and she found it difficult to breathe. She saw her parents at an outside table. Doug and Julie stood and walked over to her.

"They found a body matching Nick's description frozen in the river outside of Chicago." She announced. She swallowed and sniffed. "He's dead."

Julie gasped and shook her head. Doug put an arm around Julie's shoulders. "That doesn't mean it is Nick, though. There's still hope."

Hope nodded. "Can you come with me? I don't want to go alone."

"Of course."

XXX

The trio made it to the morgue in Chicago. They followed the mortician as he spoke.

"A couple found the body in the Fox River. Dentists determined that he has been dead since November 25th of last year. He had an internal bruise on his forehead, so, he probably slipped, bumped his head, and fell into the river." He opened a door. "He's in here."

Hope and Julie hesitated. They were afraid of what they might find. Doug stepped forward. "I'll go in."

"Oh…this is all my fault. I should have tried harder to convince him to stay in Salem. None of this would have happened." Hope lamented.

"Oh, honey, it's not your fault." Julie hugged and comforted Hope. They pulled apart when Doug walked out. He sighed and nodded sadly. Julie and Hope got the message and cried into each other's arms. Doug pulled both of them into a hug. Their poor Nick is gone forever.


	2. Chapter 2

After the trio pulled apart, Hope took a breath. "Are you absolutely sure it's Nick?"

Doug was about to say something, then sighed. "Wait…now…no. He does have a crew cut, right?"

"No, he doesn't have a crew cut!" Hope exclaimed. She ran into the room. "Excuse me, I'm sorry. Can I see the body? My dad thinks he made a mistake."

"Sure." The mortician pulled his body out again.

Hope sighed in relief. "Okay. No, that's not Nick Fallon." The mortician nodded. Hope walked out and told Julie and Doug that wasn't Nick.

"Hope, I'm so sorry. I seriously thought it was Nick." Doug said.

Hope shook her head. "Don't worry about it."

"What's more important is that Nick is alive." Julie chimed in. "He's out there somewhere."

"Yeah." Hope sighed again. "I'm just wondering why he hasn't contacted anybody yet."

XXX

Gabi was freaking out. She tried very hard not to show it to anyone except for Sami, Kate, and Sonny. Sami previously told her and Kate that EJ now knows. Kate shrugged it off saying that lying/covering up a death is the DiMeras' forte, so no problem there. That's not why Gabi was freaking out.

She sought out Sonny working at the club. One look told the club owner to rush over to Gabi to a private corner.

"What's wrong now?" He whispered.

"Nick has been declared as missing." Gabi reported. "Now Hope is going to do everything she can to find him, and Julie is already suspicious of me! No doubt the Salem PD is going to ask anyone with information about him to come forward, and people saw me and Nick arguing in the square the night he 'disappeared'! What is one of them comes forward?"

"Gabi, Gabi, calm down." Sonny waved his hands to calm her. "All they saw was you arguing. For all they know, you could have hidden, then Nick could have given up and ran."

"But I didn't! And he didn't!" Gabi cried in despair.

"I know. Let's not worry about that now." Sonny advised her. Gabi swallowed and nodded. "Hey. Have you researched any modeling jobs in Chicago?"

Gabi nodded. "I have, but no one's hiring right now."

Sonny nodded. "Okay. Well, anyway, like I said, just calm down, relax, and don't worry too much about Nick and Julie."

"Okay. Thanks, Sonny."

"Yep."

XX

Will walked into the club with Ari in her stroller. He saw Sonny rush over to Gabi and they talked in low voices. Gabi looked freaked out. What was going on? After their conversation, Gabi walked towards the door and froze when she saw Will.

"Hey." Gabi greeted. She tucked her hair behind her ears and bent down to Ari. "Hi, sweetie. Did you have a good time with Daddy?" She stood up.

"So, what were you and Sonny talking about?" Will asked.

"Oh, nothing important." Gabi shook her head.

"You looked kind of freaked." Will commented. "Are you two fighting again?"

"No." Gabi said honestly. "Look, it had nothing to do with you, so, please just drop it."

"Fine. Okay." Will said.

"Thank you." Gabi replied. She put her hand on the stroller. "I will take her off your hands so you and Sonny can hang."

"Thanks!"

"Sure." Gabi pushed the stroller out.

Will walked over to the bar where Sonny handed a couple of drinks to some customers. Sonny smiled as his fiancé sat down. "Hey." He leaned over to kiss him.

"Hey." Sonny greeted. "Gabi has Ari?"

"Yep." Will nodded. "I actually walked in and saw you two talking."

"Oh. Well, don't worry- it had nothing to do with you, so…" Sonny shrugged. "Can I get you anything?"

"Hmm. Actually, the Abbytini sounds good." Will commented with a smile. "Do you still have that?"

"Yep! Coming right up." Sonny turned to the bar.

"Will!" Will turned to see Lucas walking towards him.

"Dad, what's up?" Will asked.

Lucas exhaled. "Not that it would matter to us, but, Nick has been declared missing."

"Really? Why? What happened?" Will asked, curious. "Did someone finally kill him?"

"Hopefully." Lucas shrugged.

Will stared. "Dad, I was joking. No one deserves to be killed."

"Okay, whatever." Lucas replied.

"I don't understand, though. I thought he was in New York?" Will asked.

"He never boarded his plane." Lucas shook his head.

"What? That is so weird." Will frowned in confusion. "So, he hasn't contacted anyone in our family?"

"Nope." Lucas shook his head. "Actually, Hope thought you might have heard from him…"

Sonny snorted and stifled a laugh, and then put Will's drink on the counter. "That'll be the day."

Will just stared at his fiancé, then turned to Lucas. "No, I haven't spoken to him since the week I got back from Berkley."

Lucas nodded. "Okay. I'll pass along the message. Sonny, what about you?"

"Not since Will's been back from Berkley." Sonny replied.

"Okay." Lucas sighed and stood. "Oh, and congratulations on your engagement. I'm actually a little confused about something. So, who's paying for the reception and who's paying for the wedding?"

"We haven't decided yet. We haven't even set a date." Will replied.

"Okay. Cool. Catch you two later." Lucas walked off.

"So, how do we decide who pays for what?" Will asked.

"Simple: whichever is more expensive, my parents will pay for it." Sonny smirked. "Hey, you have to admit, it's easier and more practical."

Will nodded. "Are we going to have best men?"

"Well, I was thinking about that. Who would you pick?" Sonny asked.

"I was thinking of asking T to be my best man." Will nodded. "Johnny's too young, so he's going to be the ring bearer."

"Of course." Sonny smiled. "I thought about asking either Alex or Joe or Vic to be my best man, but…they are either too busy, or we aren't that close. I was hoping Chad would be back by now, but, apparently not."

Will nodded. "What about JJ? Or your dad?"

"I'll think about it." Will took a sip of his drink.

XX

Will couldn't shake the feeling that Sonny and Gabi are hiding something. Did Gabi lie about the proposal being the big secret? Seriously, what was going on? He needed to know.

So, Will devised a plan. He told Gabi and Sonny he was going to be at the library all day looking for inspiration on his writing, but really, he is going to hide in the closet of Gabi's room.

Yes, Will took his own suggestion. For a couple of hours, Sonny and Gabi didn't say or do anything. He was beginning to lose hope. He sighed and was about to open the closet door, when Gabi walked in nearly hyperventilating.

"Oh, God, I don't know much longer I can keep this up. People are already getting suspicious." Gabi lamented.

"Just do what I do: focus on _why_ you can't come clean." Sonny explained. "You were defending yourself, after all. And if you told the truth, then Ari would grow up without her mom, grandma, and great-grandma."

Gabi sighed. "And her almost-stepfather. So, you're really willing to lie to Will? You were ready to tell him and your father not two months ago!"

"Because I realize that not only would your lives would be ruined, but Will's and Ari's too." Sonny said. He sighed. "You have to understand. When I was in that closet and I heard you, Kate, and Sami talk about how Nick orchestrated your modeling deal, you argued with him in the square, he got pissed, he tried to rape you, you hit him with a rock in self-defense, you thought he was dead, so you, Kate, and Sami dragged him and threw him in the river, I was beyond freaked out. I'm almost too afraid to hurt Will and Ari because of that!"

Gabi raised an eyebrow. "Is that the only reason you're afraid to hurt them?"

"No! God, no." Sonny sighed and turned around. "I don't want them hurt at all no matter what the situation is."

Gabi exhaled slowly. "Okay. I get it. And honestly, I would be freaked out too. Hell, I'd tell you to stay away from my daughter."

Sonny nodded, smiled, and turned around. "Would you have me kidnapped?"

Gabi snorted. "Yeah. I'm gonna have a Kiriakis kidnapped." She chuckled sarcastically.

"Good to know." Sonny said. "No one can ever know. I honestly don't think I'll be in trouble, but…you guys…"

"You're keeping quiet about a crime. Isn't _that_ a crime?" Gabi asked.

"Hmmm. I guess you have a point there." Sonny replied. "I just hope Will never finds out about this and that we kept it a secret."

Gabi was about to reply, when the closet door slid open. Will stepped out looking beyond furious. Gabi looked horrified and Sonny looked guilty.

"How could you?" Will asked, his voice shaking with anger.


	3. Chapter 3

Sonny and Gabi froze in horror. Will was in the closet and he heard everything they said. Sonny decided to break the awkward silence, by holding his hands up to hopefully keep Will calm.

"Will…we can explain." Sonny said. "How-how did you get in there? And how long have you been there?"

"I followed you." Will said with controlled anger. "I knew you were still keeping something from me. I had to find out what."

Gabi sighed and shook her head. "Okay. So now you know the truth. You have to understand that-"

Will raised his hand to silence her. "You murdered someone in cold blood."

"You don't think I feel guilty about that?" Gabi asked. "I have had nightmares and hallucinations! I wanted to turn myself in, but your mom and grandma thought it would be better not to!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Will exclaimed. He turned to Sonny. "You overheard the same thing I did when you hid in the closet, didn't you? You also hid behind your claustrophobia."

Sonny sighed. "Yes, I did. Will, I am sorry, but I'm just trying to protect you."

"How is this protecting me?"

"I didn't want you to get involved. You might get in trouble if the truth comes to light." Sonny explained, giving Will a pleading look. "I wanted to tell you- I did. But then I realized that the more people who know, the more they're going to get in trouble."

Will exhaled sharply and shook his head. "Unbelievable. I took a freaking bullet for Nick, and you kill him not six months later?!"

"It was self-defense, Will. He tried to rape me!"

"So why didn't you just call the police?"

"People saw us arguing in the square that night. They aren't going to believe me." Gabi shrugged. "And Sami thought he was dead, so we dragged him into the river."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this." Will sat down and rubbed his eyes.

Sonny glanced at Gabi and knelt next to Will. "Will, you can't tell anyone about this. Least of all, the police. If they found out Sami, Kate, and Gabi killed Nick, and that we knew about it, we all would go to prison, and Ari will grow up without her parents, grandmother, and great-grandmother."

"Sonny…Nick was my cousin. Yeah, we didn't have a great relationship, but he's still family." Will said, looking up. "Okay, if Gabi said she hit him in self-defense, I'm sure they'll believe her. Because, why would Gabi ever purposely kill someone?"

"True, but everyone cracks eventually." Sonny nodded. "Will, you understand everything now, right? Why we kept it a secret?"

Will sighed again and turned around. They did have a point. But… "Fine. I get why, but…I don't think I can keep this quiet. I'm sorry."

"Will, you want to send your daughter's mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and your fiancé to jail? _All_ our lives will be ruined!" Gabi exclaimed, getting slightly desperate. "Look, I texted your mom and grandma to let them know that you know."

"Okay, you know what? I…" Will stood up. "I get why you killed him. But, why not just go to the police, anyway? You can't go to jail for killing someone in self-defense."

"You can if you don't report it right away." Sonny spoke up. "And the fact that it turned out he was alive when they put Nick in the river and pushed him under and covered it up…and you and I now know about it…we all could be in serious trouble."

Will huffed and looked away. Gabi was about to say something when someone pounded on the door. Gabi went to open it, and Kate stormed in, fuming.

"What the hell, Sonny?" Kate threw her arms out in frustration.

"Kate, Sonny didn't tell Will. He was in the closet and he overheard me and Sonny talk about it." Gabi said, rushing to Sonny's defense.

"…Okay, you know what? I am having a guy come tomorrow to freaking take that thing out!" Kate ranted.

Sami rushed over to Will. "Will, I'm sorry. I wanted to call the police. In fact, I had my cell phone out and ready, but Kate decided it was better to toss him in the river and cover it up!"

"Oh, sure. Throw me under the bus!" Kate snapped at Sami.

"Well, it's true!" Sami fired back.

"Okay, look, people saw Gabi and Nick arguing that night. She ran off, he followed her, he ends up dead." Kate said. "Ask yourself, Will. Would _you_ believe it was self-defense?"

"Yes!" Will exclaimed. "Because I believed Gabi would never purposely hurt someone! Boy, was I wrong!"

'_Yeah, really…'_ Sonny thought, thinking about Melanie.

"Don't put all the blame on Gabi. We talked her into it. She was freaking out the whole time." Sami replied. "She even wanted to tell Rafe."

"And if it were just me, I'd turn myself in." Gabi jumped in. "But I have Ari to think about. I don't want her to grow up without a mother. Or a grandmother or great-"

"Do _not_ finish that sentence." Kate glared at Gabi. "This is all your fault. You just had to run into the woods. Didn't anyone tell you to run into a business or somewhere to avoid crazy people?" 

"No, but I'm starting to see why that is." Gabi just nodded slowly.

"Kate, none of this would have happened if you had just let me call the damn police!" Sami glared at her, rushing to Gabi's defense.

"You should have double checked to make sure he was dead!" Kate roared back.

"Ladies, ladies, retract the claws, all right? We need to figure this out." Sonny said, raising his hands to calm them down.

"Right. First thing you lot need to do is burn the clothes you were wearing the night of the murder." EJ instructed. He pulled out a small patch of fabric and turned to Gabi. "I believe this is part of the coat you wore that night."

"Oh…heh. I didn't realize there was a tear…" Gabi said as she took it.

EJ nodded and turned to Sami and Kate. "Now, I want the entire outfits you wore that night at my house first thing tomorrow morning. Everything must go."

"What?! I wore designer shoes that night. No way in hell I'm burning a pair of $2,000 shoes!" Kate declared.

"Well, then perhaps you should have thought about that before you went and disposed of Nick's not so dead body instead of doing the sensible thing and calling the police." EJ remarked. Kate continued glaring at him. "First thing tomorrow, or I'm ransacking your house."

"Fine!" Kate said through gritted teeth.

"Just remember: you started this whole mess by not letting me call the cops." Sami smirked.

"Up yours, Sami!" Kate snapped. "I swear to God, I will shove my foot so far up your ass…"

"Just as long as it's not $2,000 designer heels." Sami winked.

"Samantha, do not provoke Kate. You know how vindictive she can get." EJ advised her.

"Can I say something?" Everyone turned to Will, who stood. "I understand now why you all need to keep this a secret. But, honestly, I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to look Aunts Hope, Julie, Maggie, and Jenn, and Abigail in the eye knowing that their relative was murdered after trying to rape Gabi."

Sami scoffed. "Please. He wasn't that close to his family anyway."

"In what universe, Mom?" Will asked. "Nick was very close with them! Sooner or later, they're going to wonder why they haven't heard from him. They will want to visit him or skype him or call him."

"I have his cell phone. I'll just keep texting his family and friends." Kate explained.

"Fine, but what if they want to actually see him or hear his voice?" Will asked.

"I'll make up excuses. Throat surgery, strep throat, going through a tunnel…" Kate replied. "The possibilities are endless."

Will sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I…okay. You know what? Fine. You do what you want. Just leave me the hell out of it."

"Gladly." Sami replied. "The less you know, the better."

"Brilliant! Now that that's settled…" EJ sighed and turned to Gabi and Kate. "My house, tomorrow morning."

"Oh, EJ, if you wanna wait a few minutes, I'll just get my clothes right now." Gabi spoke up and headed to her room.

"Sure." EJ replied back. He turned to Kate. "Tomorrow-"

"Morning. I know." Kate rolled her eyes. "But if I have to burn my $2,000 shoes, Sami needs to burn her $60,000 earrings."

"My Aunt Hope and Abe already know about the earrings. Melting them would make me look even more suspicious." Sami responded.

Kate looked at EJ, who nodded to confirm her statement. She sighed. "Fine. See you tomorrow." She stormed out of the apartment.

Sami cleared her throat and turned to Will. "Okay, so, I'll see you later?"

"I just need more time to process this, Mom. Until then, please just leave me alone." Will said.

"Okay. Sorry." Sami responded and looked at EJ.

Gabi walked back into the room carrying a large shopping bag filled with her entire ensemble from that night. "All right, this is everything. Let me just grab my coat…" She headed to the closet and grabbed her coat and put it in the bag. She sighed and gave the bag to EJ. "I even included my jewelry and hair accessories."

EJ nodded. "Thank you. Well, good day. I'll see you all soon."

"Bye, guys." Sami waved. Sonny and Gabi waved back.

They heard Ari fuss from her room. "I got this." Gabi said to the men, and headed to the room.

Sonny sat down next to Will, who rubbed his temples. "Are you okay?" Will shook his head and shrugged. "Are we okay?" Sonny looked at his fiancé pleadingly. He took Will's hand. "Will…I love you. I wanted to tell you- really. But, this would have turned your life upside down if you knew."

Will thought about that for a minute. He had a point, but, would he do the same thing? "I guess…I can sympathize. After all, I kept a big secret from you. Guess this makes us even."

Sonny sighed inwardly with relief and smiled. "I really am sorry. I know I should have told you right when I found out."

Will smiled and kissed his fiancé. "I know. At least I know now." They hugged. "I just wish I could forget what I overheard."

"Same here." Sonny replied and pulled apart. "Okay, so I have to be at the club in twenty minutes. Walk me there?"

"Okay. I'm not gonna be very chatty, but…sure. Let's go." Will stood up. "Gabi, Sonny and I are going!"

"Okay!" Gabi called back.

XXX

Over the next week, Gabi was slowly losing her grip. 'I don't understand- how is it that I was completely calm when I had Melanie kidnapped, but not now?' She kept thinking. She just did her best to shrug it off and smiled as she pushed Ari's stroller into the Brady pub to where Abby was sitting.

"Hey! Sorry I'm late." Gabi said as she sat down.

"No problem." Abby said.

"So, the reason I asked you to come here is because I wanted to ask you if you would like to be Ari's Godmother." Gabi smiled brightly.

Abby gasped and smiled. "Oh my god, yes! I'd be honored!" They hugged. She looked down at her phone, sighed in disappointment, and put her phone away.

"Expecting someone?" Gabi raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I texted Nick, but he hasn't responded yet." Abby shrugged. "Have you heard from him?"

"No, I haven't, nor will I ever." Gabi said a little too sharply.

Abby stared at her friend in surprise. "Gabi…is everything okay? Did something happen?"

"No. Why would you ask?" Gabi asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Well, I mean, you're acting a little weird…" Abby's phone beeped. "Oh, finally! 'Sorry I haven't been in touch with you. Things are going swimmingly. Nick.'" Gabi paled and dropped her glass. Abby gasped slightly and stared at her friend in horror. "Gabi, what's wrong?"

"That's not Nick." Gabi choked out.

"Yeah it is. It's his number." Abby showed Gabi her phone. Gabi's heart started hammering in her chest and shivers ran up and down her spine. "Okay, seriously- what's with you? Look, Gabi, Nick is my family, but…if he did something to hurt you…"

"H-he didn't." Gabi cleared her throat. "It's nothing, okay? Just let it go."

"No, you know what? I'm calling Hope Brady."

"What? No! Why?" Gabi asked, starting to freak out.

"I just heard from Nick, and you're acting really weird. I'm sorry, but she needs to know." Abby started to call Hope, but stopped. "Crap. I just remembered she's at the Horton Cabin on Smith Island with Ciara."

"Oh. Well, I'm sure you'll get in touch." Gabi stood up and grabbed the stroller. "I'll see you later!" She ran off.

XX

About twenty minutes later, Gabi arrived at the DiMera mansion and rang the doorbell.

"Yes?" Harold answered.

"Hi, is Sami here?" Gabi asked.

"I'm sorry, but Miss Brady left earlier for a business trip." Harold replied.

EJ ran into the foyer. "Harold, I can take it from here. Thank you."

Harold walked off, and Gabi turned to EJ. "Nick's alive."

"Shh! Under no circumstances will you ever mention that name in front of my staff." He led Gabi and Ari into the living room and closed the doors. "Now, what did you say?"

"Abby got a text from Nick. I saw the number- it was Nick's phone." Gabi explained breathlessly.

EJ sighed. "Gabriella, Kate has Nick's phone. She's been texting the Hortons to create the illusion that he's still alive. I thought you knew."

Gabi exhaled with relief. "I freaking hate Kate so much right now…"

EJ chuckled. "You know, you ladies need to work on your communication skills."

Gabi sighed. "Yeah. Also, Abby's getting suspicious. I…kind of freaked out when she got that text. She's smart. She assumed something went wrong with Nick, so she's on her way to tell Hope."

"Okay, give me your phone." EJ held out his hand.

Gabi gave EJ her phone. "Why?"

"'Meet me at the pier ASAP. It's urgent.'" EJ typed.

"EJ, we can't let Abby figure this out. If she does, she's gonna tell Hope, and she's going to flip." Gabi said.

"And we're all going to be in hot water." EJ responded back. The phone beeped again. "She's already on her way to Smith Island. All right, I'll take it from here. Just take your phone and your baby and go home. Do not answer your phone unless I contact you."

Gabi nodded and left.

XXX

The ferry ride over was rocky, but Abby managed to keep her lunch down. When they docked, Abby jumped off and practically ran to the cabin. There were no signs of life, but she knocked anyway.

"Hope?" Abby called out. She sighed and twisted the doorknob.

"Oh, Abigail, don't do that."

Abby turned around to see EJ. "What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I came to see you." EJ smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, here's the thing- I thought I already updated chapter three before yesterday, but I was wrong. Also, I'm trying really hard to stay ahead of Days, so this chapter might be a little rushed. **

Abby stared at EJ. "Why would you do that? And-" Abby just shook her head and waved her hand. "Never mind. Can we do this later? I have to tell Hope something." She turned the doorknob and walked in. "Hope?" She called, looking around.

"She probably went back to town. I did see a ferry leave as I docked." EJ said, walking in and closing the door.

Abby ignored EJ and continued running around the cabin. EJ got a text from Sonny saying "Gabi told me everything. I just saw Hope and Ciara at Club TBD. Are you back yet?"

"No, just got here. Abby's still looking for Hope. Be back soon." EJ replied back.

"Well, that was a waste of time." Abby said as she came back into the room. She sighed, took off her coat and scarf, and hung them over the couch. She folded her arms and stared at EJ. "So, how'd you know where I was?"

"Your friend Gabi told me." EJ said. "She said she flipped out when you mentioned Nick, and you rushed off to tell Hope. I'm here to tell you you have nothing to worry about."

"Really?" Abby raised an eyebrow. "Gabi isn't usually this oversensitive…what do you know?"

EJ faked a dismayed sigh. "All right. I hate to be the one to tell you this. You may want to sit down."

"I'll stand." Abby said firmly.

"Very well. Nick and Gabi slept together after the annulment." EJ admitted. "Then, later, he orchestrated her modeling job in New York. He planned on taking Gabi and hers and William's baby away again."

"Oh." Abby nodded. Wait…that can't be Nick! She shook her head and folded her arms. "Wait…are you sure you're not hiding the fact that you slept with Gabi?"

EJ scoffed and chuckled in disbelief. "What? You can't really think I'd sleep with her of all people!"

"Well, she just talked to you." Abby said.

"That's your proof? Are you bloody joking?" EJ shook his head. "Please. Gabi is a child with a child of her own. No way would I ever even consider what you're accusing me of."

"Okay, fine. My bad." Abby raised her hands. She decided to change the subject. "Well, the next ferry doesn't come for a while. I'm gonna make some tea. Do you want some?"

"Sure."

"Okay. Make yourself at home." Abby gestured to the couch and headed to the kitchen.

XX

About twenty minutes later, Abby returned with two mugs of tea. "Okay, this isn't fine China, but, it's as good as you're gonna get."

"Thank you." EJ said, taking the mug.

"So…how are the kids?" Abby asked.

"They're good." EJ smiled and took a sip. "This tea is good, too."

Abby chuckled. "Thanks." She studied EJ. He looked a little solemn and had a far-off expression. "EJ, is everything okay?"

EJ sighed. "Not really. Samantha and I are on the rocks. She kicked me out of her bed about two months ago, and hasn't touched me since."

"Seriously? She's crazy." Abby said. EJ turned to her, and Abby continued. "Why wouldn't she? I mean, any woman with half a brain would…"

EJ couldn't help himself. He saw an opportunity to fulfill his needs and distract the girl from anything about her piece of crap cousin- Nick, that is. EJ cupped her face in his hand and gently kissed her. Abby gasped slightly in surprise, but kissed him back. They made out for a few minutes, then pulled apart to catch their breath. EJ cleared his throat. "Sorry. I have no idea what came over me."

Abby smiled and caressed his face. "I'm not." She stood up and pulled EJ up with her. She pushed his coat off, and EJ took his scarf off. Abby wrapped her arms around EJ's shoulders and pulled him in for a kiss. EJ let's his hands wander around Abby's waist and down her bum. He bent down a little and lifted her up against him and carried her to the bed. It wasn't until EJ was on top of her, kissing her neck when she had a sudden attack of conscience. She put her hands on his shoulders to stop him. "Wait, are you sure you want to do this to Sami?"

EJ sighed. "It's not like I haven't done this before. We won't tell her."

"What about Chad? He's your brother." Abby said.

"He doesn't have to know. Nobody has to know." EJ replied. "We're just _amis amants_- friends who have fun." EJ said.

"_Amis amants_." Abby repeated. "What the hell?" She pulled him down, and he unbuttoned her shirt.

XXX

The next few hours went by in a blur. Abby and EJ went at it for a good 45 minutes. Afterwards, Abby was exhausted and fell asleep. Her body was so sore, but at least she didn't bleed. EJ exhaled and rolled onto his back. That felt so good after that long hiatus. He got up, got dressed, and headed to the couch. He then realized what he did and looked in horror.

"Dear God, what have I done?" He muttered. EJ sighed and rubbed his forehead. He got up to leave, then realized it would look like he was just there to hump and dump Abby. He slowly walked back upstairs.

Abby burst from the room fully clothed. "Oh! Heh…I didn't think you.." She sighed and cleared her throat. "That was nice."

EJ smiled. "I hope I wasn't too brutal."

"You weren't." Abby said honestly. "You were good."

"As were you." EJ replied a little flirtatiously.

Abby blushed. "We should head back."

EJ nodded. "My boat's still here. We can go back on that."

"Okay." Abby walked downstairs and EJ followed.

XXX

The ferry back was quiet. EJ offered to drive Abby home, but she declined. As soon as she got home, Abby slowly began to process what had happened on Smith Island.

"Oh my God…I slept with EJ DiMera." Abby gasped and shuddered lightly. "Well, at least it was consensual. Okay, that didn't make me feel any better…" She headed upstairs to take a shower.

XXX

Will smiled as he walked into his apartment holding a grocery bag. "Hey, I'm home!" Gabi was seen angrily cleaning the kitchen, and Sonny was playing with Ari on the couch. "Uh…did I miss something?"

"Your mom and grandma suck at communication, that's what you missed!" Gabi snapped.

Will glanced at Sonny, who smiled sheepishly. "Abby got a text from Nick, but really it was Kate using Nick's phone. Gabi didn't know, so she freaked out which made her suspicious. Gabi went to EJ, who rushed to stop Abby from telling Hope, who was going to the Horton Cabin with Ciara. I just saw Hope earlier, so Abby didn't need to go to Smith Island. We haven't heard from EJ yet, though."

"Oh. You didn't know about Kate having Nick's phone?" Will asked Gabi.

Gabi just stared at Will, dumbstruck. She groaned in irritation and threw her rag on the counter. "Unbelievable."

Sonny stood up and turned to Gabi. "Gabi…you need to relax. You're wound a little too tight."

Gabi nodded and turned to Will and Sonny. "Anything else you wanna tell me? About the cover-up plan?"

"No, you pretty much know everything now." Sonny nodded. His phone beeped. "Oh. 'All is well. Abby is no longer suspicious.' Huh." Sonny read. He opened up a reply text and typed. "What did you do?" A few minutes later, his phone beeped again. "'I used my charm and good looks.' semi-colon, close parenthesis." Sonny read. "'Now delete this conversation just in case. Have Gabi do the same.'" Sonny glanced at Gabi, who grabbed her phone. Sonny sighed as he deleted his conversation with EJ. "Secrets, cover-ups, kidnapping rescue missions, gas explosions, unplanned pregnancies- remind me again why I wanted to climb mountains in Europe again." He smirked.

"To get away from all the craziness?" Will supplied helpfully.

Sonny laughed. "Okay, let's try to pretend Nick's really alive and in New York. The more calm we are, the better."

"Spoken like a true Kiriakis." Will half-joked.

Sonny laughed again. "Oh…imagine the look on my Uncle Victor's face if he ever finds out what I got myself into."

"Hey, what about your mom's?" Will's eyes widened.

Sonny opened his mouth to say something, then thought against it. "Well…I think at least part of her would sympathize."

"Why do you say that?" Gabi wondered.

"She was raped by her dad and killed him in self-defense." Sonny replied. "This isn't something you'd want to discuss, so…"

"Mum's the word." Gabi promised. Will nodded in agreement. "Wait…she didn't go to jail…did she?"

"No. My uncle Steve covered for her, but she came clean. They let her off." Sonny replied. "And before you ask, your situation is very different: Nick was still alive when you hit him, and you threw him in the river and covered up his murder."

Gabi's face fell. "Shoot."

"Look, guys, Ari's getting christianed, Sonny and I are getting married, so let's focus on that and not on…that one event that we shall never speak of ever again." Will smiled and sat on the couch. "Besides, there's really nothing to worry about now."

XXX

Abby sat on her couch in her bathrobe, hair still wet, and a mug of coffee in her hand. She was freaked out and scared of what she did with EJ. What if her mom found out? What if her extended family finds out? She jumped a mile when the door opened.

"Oh, good. You're home." Jenn walked into the living room and put a bunch of files on her desk. Her face fell into concern when she saw her daughter sitting on the couch in a robe looking distraught. "Honey…what's wrong? What happened?"

"I did something horrible." Abby said quietly, her voice shaking.

Jenn grew worried and sat next to her. "What? Honey, whatever it is, we can work it out."

"I slept with…someone…I barely know." Abby said. She couldn't tell her mother the whole story. All hell would break loose.

Jenn gasped slightly. "Uh…do you know his name? How old was he? How did you meet?"

"He's in his early to mid thirties…I, uh…met him here in Salem…"

"Oh, my god, Abigail, you slept with someone almost twice your age?" Jenn asked in dismay. "I just…was it consensual?"

"Yes, it was." Abby nodded. "Mom, I made a huge, huge error in judgement, and I don't know what to do!"

Jenn pulled her daughter into a hug. "Oh…it's okay. It was only a one-night stand. You'll forget about it eventually."

Abby exhaled sharply. _'A one-night stand with a DiMera…'_

No one can ever know. But can she keep this a secret?


	5. Chapter 5

Over the next two weeks, Abby tried to hide her tryst with EJ. She nearly had a stroke when she thought Sami overheard her and EJ talking about it. She was surprisingly supportive, which made her feel even guiltier about it. The day of Ari's christening came.

"Morning, Abs." JJ said, walking into the kitchen. He poured himself some cereal and sat down. "So, does you being Arianna's godmother make me a goduncle, or how does that work?"

"Sure. Probably." Abby replied dismissively.

"Something wrong?" JJ asked, then sighed. "Never mind. You're not gonna tell me anyway."

"Then why ask?" Abby asked flatly.

JJ just shrugged and continued eating.

XXX

Later, the doorbell rang and Abby answered it. "Hey, Julie. Come on in."

"Thank you, dear." Julie walked in and sighed. "I hate to sound like a broken record, but, I really am getting extremely worried about Nick. I talked to Gabi and she said he texted you?"

"Yeah. He said things were going swimmingly." Abby responded.

"Has he called you at all?" Julie asked.

"No." Abby shook her head. "Julie, I wouldn't worry. It's Nick we're talking about."

"Don't you think it's strange that he won't even call or visit his family? He didn't even come home for the holidays!" Julie exclaimed.

"To be fair, neither did Jeremy, Nathan, Josh, Jessica, Marie, Tommy, Melissa, Sarah…" Abby interjected.

Julie exhaled sharply. "Yes, but at least they sent cards and called us. I think something may have happened to him."

"Based on the guy that was found frozen in the river?" Abby guessed.

"Yes." Julie nodded. "It's just too weird. He hasn't called, he hasn't visited, we don't even have his address!"

"Maybe…he didn't want to run into Gabi if he visits." Abby suggested.

Julie scoffed and shook her head. "Seriously? Salem is not that small. They could avoid each other easily."

"Okay, well, I'm sorry, but I don't know what else to tell you." Abby shrugged.

"I know. Thank you, sweetheart." Julie said.

"You're welcome. See you tonight."

XXX

Abby decided to walk around the square to get her mind off of things. She walked towards the bench and heard footsteps and turned around. EJ stopped in his tracks when he saw Abby. They were silent for a minute, then Abby spoke.

"I feel guilty. There, I said it." Abby stated simply. "We slept together even though you're engaged."

EJ nodded. "We really need to keep our distance. Samantha can never know what we did."

"I agree." Abby folded her arms. "I mean, we slept together in the Horton cabin…" Her voice trailed off as a thought occurred to her. "…after I was looking for Hope to tell her about the text from Nick." She gasped. "You slept with me to keep me from telling Hope I got a text from him, didn't you?" EJ didn't say anything. Abby's heart began pounding. "Did you…did you kill him?"

"I'm sorry?" EJ asked, astounded.

"You heard me." Abby said, her voice shaking. "Did you kill my cousin?"

"No. Whatever made you think I did?" EJ asked.

"Well, you did tell me you wanted him in jail."

"In a jail cell, not a coffin." EJ pointed out. "Come on, do you really think I'd be that stupid?"

"You tortured my uncle Steve and then kidnapped my cousin Stephanie." Abby pointed out. "I could go on. You have pulled a lot of crap like this."

"Never murder, however."

"There's a first time for everything." Abby shrugged.

"You're right." EJ said. "But I can assure you. I did not kill Nick Fallon. I saw what being on trial for murder is like for Samantha. I'm not going to turn around and do the same thing."

Abby huffed and turned her head. He had a good point. "Fine. Sorry."

"Apology accepted." EJ smiled. They walked closer and kissed. EJ sighed when he pulled away. "We can't keep doing this. I can't believe this. I spent the last eight years obsessing over Samantha, I finally have her, and I betray her."

"I slept with two DiMeras. I kinda think that's worse." Abby stated simply. "No offense."

"None taken." EJ sighed. "This affair never happened. Understand?"

"But it did happen." Abby pointed out. "But…I won't tell anyone. As much as it pains me to say it- and it does- my family already has enough bad seeds as it is."

"Good. I'll see you around, then." EJ said.

"See you. I uh…I hope things work out between you and Sami. I really do." Abby said.

"Thank you. Take care." EJ walked off.

"You, too." Abby sat down and held her face in her hands. 'God, what's wrong with me?'

XXX

In the Salem Inn, a man dressed all in black looked at the pictures he took on his phone. He smiled and shook his head in dismay at EJ DiMera having an affair with Abigail Deveraux. What was she thinking? The man put the phone down and picked up a newspaper clipping with Arianna's christening announcement.

'_Time to have some fun.'_ He thought wryly.

XXX

After the christening, Sami, Kate, Gabi, Will, Sonny, Abby, EJ, Hope, and Julie stuck around for a few minutes.

"I am going to buy clothes, toys, books…" Abby was gushing to Arianna.

"Hey, what am I going to buy?" Sami teased.

"Tuition for St. Lukes?" Will half-joked.

"So you want her to go to St. Lukes?" Sami asked.

"Yeah. Gabi and I talked about it, and St. Luke's Academy sounds like a great school, so why not?" Will shrugged.

Sami smiled. "Eric would love that."

They heard the door open and turned around. Gabi gasped in horror, and everyone else except for Hope and Julie looked in horror. "Oh my God…"

"Sorry. Am I interrupting?" Nick turned around and smiled at all the shocked and horrified faces.


	6. Chapter 6

It took a few minutes for everyone to get over their initial shock. Julie was the first to get over it and walked over to him.

"Nick!" She exclaimed and hugged him. "Oh, we've all been so worried! Where have you been? Why haven't you called or visited?"

Nick glanced at the others. Gabi looked like she was going to faint; Sami, Kate, Sonny, and EJ all glared at him; and Will just looked slightly worried. Nick turned back to Julie and smiled. "I was backpacking through New York. I didn't call because I didn't want to bring you guys down by my depression."

"You didn't come back for Thanksgiving and Christmas." Julie pointed out.

"I was embarrassed. I figured you guys have had enough of me and my drama." Nick shrugged.

"Oh, Nick, you know we all love you." Julie said kindly as she rubbed his arms. "We never get tired of you."

"Those text messages, though…." Hope spoke up. "You spelt Claire's name wrong and you didn't get the family joke between you and your mother."

"I spelled Claire's name wrong?" Nick asked, genuinely surprised. Gabi's heart quickened. "How's it normally spelled?"

"C-L-A-I-R-E" Hope replied.

"Ah." Nick nodded. "I might have been a tad drunk and wasn't thinking. Sorry."

"What else matters? You're here!" Julie exclaimed and chuckled. "Oh, it's too bad you didn't come sooner. We had just christened Arianna."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Really? It's too bad I missed it." Nick walked closer to Gabi and Ari. Gabi backed away slowly. Nick chuckled. "Gabi, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt her. Or you."

Sami looked between Nick and Gabi and cleared her throat. "You know, we should head over to the mansion."

"Oh! Right, the reception!" Julie exclaimed. "Nick, you should come! Everyone will be so happy to see you!"

"Hell no." Sami said angrily before she could stop herself. Julie turned to glare at her.

"It's okay, Aunt Julie." Nick spoke. "I don't wanna overwhelm everyone. Besides, this is Arianna's special day. I don't want to take away the spotlight. I'll just catch up with everyone later."

"Oh. Okay. Where are you staying?" Julie asked, slightly disappointed.

"I have a room at the Salem Inn." Nick replied.

"Well, wouldn't you rather stay with me or with Aunt Maggie?" She asked.

"Oh…well…sure. Thanks for the offer." Nick smiled. "I'll move my things to your house, then."

"Great! I'll walk you out." Julie said.

Hope watched Nick and Julie leave, then turned to Abby. "Was there something you wanted to tell me?"

Abby thought for a minute. She was going to tell Hope about the text she got from Nick and Gabi's reaction, but…since Nick showed up, maybe he'll tell her if there's something wrong. But, he did say he was backpacking across New York. She sighed. "Just that…Chad manipulated me into having sex with him by faking a brain tumor."

Hope was a little surprised by that. She scoffed and glared at EJ. "You knew about this, didn't you?"

EJ nodded. "Yes. So does her mother and Samantha."

Hope shook her head in disgust and turned to Abby. "Come on. We'll be late for the reception."

"Um…Abby? Would you please take Ari with you? We have to talk to Father Matt about something." Will asked.

Abby looked at her cousin in confusion, but took Ari, anyway. "Okay. Sure…"

Once Abby, Hope, and Ari left; Gabi started hyperventilating. "Oh my God…oh my God…"

"I thought you said that area of the river was the best way to dump bodies, Kate!" Sami turned to glare at

Kate.

"You're the one who said that there was high tide and ice in the river!" Kate snapped back.

"He's alive. Oh my God. He's gonna tell Hope we tried to kill him. It's over. It's all over." Gabi lamented. She sat on a pew, shaking.

"Unless he gets revenge on us first…" Kate replied.

"Oh my God!" Gabi exclaimed. She started rocking back and forth.

Sami marched over to Gabi, knelt down and shook her slightly. "Hey, calm down. Everything will be fine. We'll just try to avoid him as much as we can. He knows that this situation is bad for him too. He did try to rape you."

"Oh my god. Imagine Rafe's reaction if he finds out." Kate commented. "Bye, bye, professional behavior."

"Guys, the best part about this is that Nick isn't really dead." Sonny pointed out. "You can't go away for murder."

"But they can for attempted murder." EJ contradicted. "And you, William, and I could go to jail for accessory for attempted murder after the fact."

"Oh…" Sonny sighed.

"All right, let's just all remain calm, try to avoid Nick as much as possible, and just deny everything." EJ replied.

"That's your plan?" Kate scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Got a better plan, Kate?" EJ glared at her.

"It's better than going to Stefano." Sami piped up, coming to EJ's defense. Will and Sonny nodded in agreement.

"Fine. Now…let's go. Everyone's probably wondering where we are." Kate said and walked out. EJ and Sami followed.

"Guys, it'll be okay. Promise." Sami said and followed EJ.

"He's gonna come back for me. I just know it." Gabi whimpered.

"No he's not. We'll make sure of it." Sonny hugged her. "I'll have someone put in an alarm system in the apartment, then a dummy alarm, then I'll have someone put a chain on the door."

"Well, that might keep Nick out of the apartment…" Will shrugged. "Around town and at school, I'll stay with you. I'll have Tad do that, too. We'll just tell him you need a bodyguard."

"Plus, you can hang around Rafe a lot more, too." Sonny suggested.

"Without telling him why?" Gabi asked.

"You can just tell him that life is short and you wanna spend time with your big brother." Sonny replied.

Gabi nodded. "Yeah. Okay, yeah. Let's do that." She stood up. "Thanks, guys."

"You're welcome." Sonny and Will hugged Gabi, and they walked out of there.

XXX

Everyone involved tried not to show anyone they were worried that Nick might expose them for trying to kill him. EJ just advised them all to do nothing. If Nick does do something illegal, then report it right away regardless of the consequences.

The next day, Sonny walked Gabi and Ari to the Brady Pub to meet Rafe before Sonny's shift. They saw Abby talking to Rafe.

"Look, I'm not saying Nick is an angel, but, come on. He's been through hell." Abby was saying. "And he's done some good things. He orchestrated Gabi's modeling job, after all."

"Wait, what?" Rafe asked, surprised. Gabi stiffened.

Abby froze and glanced at Gabi. "I…Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I thought you knew."

"I don't tell my brother everything, Abby." Gabi said stiffly. "Do you tell your brother everything?"

"N-no. I…God…"

"It's okay." Rafe nodded. "Obviously, my sister and I have a lot to talk about."

Gabi sighed in resignation. Sonny cleared his throat. "Okay, so, I'll see you at home." He walked off.

"Obviously, this is awkward." Abby stood up. "I really am sorry."

"Thank you." Gabi replied and took Abby's seat. Abby nodded and walked off.

Rafe turned to Gabi and folded his arms. "Something you wanna tell me?"

Gabi lowered her eyes, then glanced up. "Nick is back in town. But, don't worry- I'm avoiding him at all costs."

Rafe nodded. "Good. Now, what's this about Nick orchestrating your modeling gig?"

"Rafe, you're still recovering. I don't want to mess that up." Gabi replied.

"Screw that! This is you we're talking about!" Rafe exclaimed. "Now, what was that about?"

Gabi huffed quietly. Well, it wouldn't hurt to tell him part of the truth. "Okay. Nick told me he orchestrated my whole modeling job- that's why I decided not to do it. We had an argument and…just when things were about to get physical, EJ stepped in and stopped Nick."

Rafe stared at her in horror. "What?! Okay, wait- what do you mean things were about to get physical? What did he almost do?"

Gabi swallowed. She hated lying. She could tell him Nick tried to rape her, but, that wasn't in public. "He was about to grab me."

"And EJ stopped it? EJ? The same EJ who kidnapped me and put a crazy imposter in my place?" Rafe exploded. "Why would he of all people even care?!"

"Arianna is my daughter. She's Sami's granddaughter." Gabi shrugged. "Come on, I know he was a pretty bad guy when we first knew him, but, he really has changed." Rafe exhaled sharply, unconvinced. Gabi continued. "I baked him a batch of churros to thank him."

"Please tell me you're not in love with him." Rafe blurted before he could stop himself.

"No! God, no. Sami would kill me." Gabi shook her head. "Look, Rafe, if he hadn't stepped in, who knows what might've happened?"

Rafe gave in slightly and calmed down. "Why didn't you tell me this right at the beginning?"

"I didn't want to stress you out. You are still recovering."

"It's _my_ body. I'll tell you what's stressing me out." Rafe argued. "Look, Gabi, you are my sister. I want you to be able to come to me with anything, regardless of my condition. Hell, I don't care if I have a severe heart problem. I still want you to come to me."

Gabi nodded. "Okay. I'm sorry."

Rafe smiled and squeezed her hand. "It's okay. So, you're going to avoid Nick at all costs, right?"

"Yes. Sonny, Will, and Tad will be my bodyguards." Gabi smirked. "And since you're being such a tough guy about your health, would you like to be one of them?"

Rafe chuckled. "Hell yes. We'll work out a schedule."

"Cool." Gabi nodded. "Sonny is also having someone put in a new alarm system at the apartment, plus a dummy alarm in case Nick manages to get past it. Plus, we're adding a chain to our door."

"Good thinking." Rafe complimented. "Well, I guess now all we can do is wait until he does something illegal, then we'll turn him in."

"_If _he does. I'm not sure he'd want to risk going to prison again." Gabi replied. "It was worse than hell for him in there."

"Okay, well…let me know if he does do anything."

XXX

It was dark when Gabi left the Pub. She hurried through the square and stopped when she heard someone call for her. Gabi's eyes widened and she stepped back.

"Hello, Gabi. Glad I could get you alone." Nick said with a soft, but icy voice. Gabi swallowed and took a step back. She couldn't speak. "Do you really think I'd let you get away with what you did to me?"

"I...can you blame me?" Gabi stammered. "You tried to rape me."

Nick scoffed. "I have no memory of that. No one's going to believe you. But they will believe that you are responsible for Melanie's kidnapping."

Gabi swallowed back a whimper. "I don't want you near me."

Nick walked towards her, but Gabi stepped back. "I'm not gonna hurt you, Gabi."

"I still don't want you near me. Or my daughter." Gabi said, her voice shaking slightly. "I meant what I said about not wanting you in my life."

Nick simply nodded. "Okay. I thought we could do this the easy way, but I guess not."

They heard footsteps and turned to see Tad walking through the arch. "Hey. Uh...what's going on?"

Gabi glanced at Nick, then turned to T and smiled. "Nothing. Just welcoming Nick back to Salem."

"Oh. I thought you moved to New York or something." Tad said, trying hard to hide his disappointment.

"Nope. Salem is my home." Nick replied.

"Okay. Cool." T nodded. He turned to Gabi. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Actually, I'm glad I ran into you. Do you want to come over? For a late movie?" Gabi asked.

T was pleasantly surprised and elated. "Sure! Yeah."

"Great." Gabi took T's arm and smiled. She turned to Nick and waved. "Bye, Nick."

Nick watched as the two walked off. Something was going on there and he didn't like it.

**Wow! Two updates in one day? That's a rarity! XD**


End file.
